6 June 2011

A short while ago I was asked to participate in a Progressive Party over at Kitchen PLAY for the month of June. Who wouldn't want to wear their hostess hat and contribute to a blow out affair with 5 other talented food bloggers each assigned wildly different courses. We were all challenged to create one of 6 courses incorporating kiwifruit from ZESPRI®.

This month my assignment was to bring you a delicious salad course for this culinary challenge sponsored by ZESPRI® Kiwifruit. First grown in China and a nutritional powerhouse, the furry little kiwifruit is full of surprises!! When I was a little girl growing up in Southern Ontario kiwifruit were considered an exotic specialty. My mom would cut one in half and with spoon in hand I would consume several of these tropical jewels in one sitting. Kiwi fruit has always been immensely popular especially during the past two decades, and deservedly so!!!

On the outside, a kiwi fruit is a brown oval-shaped fruit which is covered with a downy fuzz. When you cut, or bite, through its thin brown skin you reach velvety, semi-translucent, emerald green flesh dotted with a ring of tiny, edible black seeds. The taste of kiwi fruit, varies from sweet to tart, with an invigorating taste reminiscent of a combination of other fruits, such as strawberries, nectarines, and melons yet with its own unique sweet flavour. Packed with more vitamin C than an equivalent amount of orange, the bright green flesh of the kiwifruit adds a dramatic tropical flair to any salad.

Prized for its tangy flavour and emerald-green flesh, kiwifruit makes a wonderful addition to any salad. Here I paired it with a citrusy poppy seed dressing, spiced almonds and raspberries for colour contrast. To peel your kiwi fruit it is easier to first cut off the ends with a sharp knife and peel with a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife. To eat the fruit with a spoon, cut it in half crosswise or lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. If the peachlike fuzz is rubbed off, the fruit can be eaten skin and all!

ZESPRI® GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit are lovely additions to many recipes that call for fresh fruit. But did you know that they also work well in spicy salsas, tropical drinks and even in marinades? At a time when environmental awareness is at the forefront of global consciousness, we can also take comfort that ZESPRI® Kiwifruit growers make environmental protection a priority. Isolated and pristine, with fertile volcanic soil and artesian irrigation water from the country's mountain ranges, it is no wonder that New Zealand grows some of the best kiwifruit in the world.

Head on over to Kitchen PLAY and see what cocktail, amuse bouche, salad, appetizer/soup, entrée (main course) and dessert each of this months participants have come up with. Each month Kitchen Play also features a contest to involve as many additional bloggers as possible. Visit the Contest page at Kitchen PLAY for more details on how you could win $100 for trying this recipe and posting about it.

**Spinach Kiwi Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing**

1 package prewashed baby spinach

2 - 3 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

1 250 g container fresh raspberries

Spicy sugared almonds (see recipe below)

Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon shallots, finely chopped

85ml (⅓ cup) cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1½ tablespoons poppy seed

250ml (1 cup) canola oil

In the bowl of a food processor blitz dressing ingredients (but not the poppyseeds) until the sugar is completely dissolved. With mixer running, slowly add oil. Stir in poppy seeds. Store in refrigerator until needed.

Just love how bright and colourful this salad is! So perfect for summer barbecues. (Though I have a feeling the sugared almonds would disappear long before they made it onto the salad, if you know what I mean.)That orange poppyseed dressing sounds amazing, too... that's going on my must-try list.

Lovely salad. I love kiwi, although I can't eat too many of them because I get a bit of an allergic reaction on my tongue. I like how you combined it with spinach. I'm tired of spinach and strawberries!

That dinner sounds like so much fun too. I always wanted to participate in something like that.

Fruit added into a green leafy salad is now my latest preference, especially while everything is so fresh! I haven't had kiwi in such a long time that you've now reminded me of what a treat I've been missing!

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.